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New video series: Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair

Today, we caught up with John Schumacher, Ambassador for School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs, to hear about his newest video series, Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair.

What inspired you to create Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair?

My friend, Mr. Colby Sharp and I developed a wonderful bond because of the weekly video messages we started uploading to our blogs in 2011. Through these videos, Colby and I would tell each other about the books we love, discuss what we feel passionately about, and provide a glimpse into our reading and personal lives. I used this effective format as a springboard to create Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair.

What is the show about?

Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair is a web-series that features must-read books, takes viewers behind the scenes with authors, illustrators, and Scholastic employees, and highlights ways to build excitement before, during, and after a Scholastic Book Fair. I hope the episodes inspire teachers, librarians, and volunteers to book talk often and with genuine enthusiasm.

For parents looking to inspire a love of reading among their children, how will Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair help?

I hope Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair inspires parents to read with and to their children every day. I hope they are inspired to pick up copies of the books I recommend and respect their children’s reading choices. My biggest hope is more parents are inspired to connect with their children through books.

“Stories Connect Us” was Kate DiCamillo’s platform during her two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Kate summed it up best by saying:

“When we read together—when a grandfather reads to a granddaughter, when a teacher reads to a classroom, when a parent reads to a child, when a sister reads to a brother, when everyone in a town reads the same book silently, together—we are taken out of our aloneness. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another. We connect. And when we connect, we are changed.”

What is your favorite part of Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair?

I love “book talking” and sharing books I feel passionately about. I highly recommend building excitement with book talks in the weeks before your Book Fair.

To hear more about “book talking” and to watch the newest Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair video, click here.

What are some books you cannot stop thinking about?

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

For more from John, connect with him on Twitter @MrSchuReads and be sure to stay tuned for the next episode of Mr. Schu Goes to the Book Fair, here: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/idea-share/john-schumacher/schu-visits